Carburetor overhaul DIY or not?

[Ashley971]

Sometimes the hardest thing for a person who can and does work on a car or bike is to answer the question:

Do I take it to a shop or do it myself?

We lose either way. My perfectly running 97 ST1100 has been sitting for months. I put Sea Foam in the tank to keep the fuel fresh. And yes, now, it is running rough - won't hold idle with the choke off. I drained the fuel and it runs better, but I'm sure the carbs need a good cleaning. Everything else has been done.

Getting to and overhauling the carbs on an ST1100 is a job. I found a shop who can do it, and they're good, but we're looking at 6-8 hours of labor (I'm told). Having read some procedures (including on this site) I believe it.

Any opinions on the decision will be welcomed.

 

[Obo]

I've never done the carbs on an ST. From what I've read getting them out is the hardest part.

I've done my Kawi ones many a time. The first time was scary as I had never done them before. If you can get over that, and are able ot get them out, cleaning them should be relatively easy.

 

[CYYJ]

I have no first-hand knowledge about overhauling carburetors, but, from looking at parts diagrams and the occasional video showing one that has been taken apart, I think the job would rank right up there with overhauling your Rolex on your own.

I'd find a person who has a good reputation for doing the overhaul work, and send it to them. I believe there is a person in Texas (?) who specializes in overhauling V4 Honda carbs. Once things thaw out and they have water & electricity there again, you might want to look him up.

I think the biggest advantage of using a "pro" to do the overhaul is that when you put the carbs back on the bike, the bike will "run really well" as opposed to "it will start".

Michael

 

[paulcb]

There's a good write-up on ST1100 carb removal and rebuild by Adam Frymoyer here. Another option is Billy Carr in Canton, TX. He's the go-to V4 carb guy and will rebuild the set for a bit over $300. I had him do mine and he did a great job. For reference, read though my thread to see what I did.

You might try a few more cans of Seafoam through it first before surgery. It helps to let the Seafoam/gas mixture sit in the carbs a few days. If you can ride it, it will speed things up.

 

[Ashley971]

2-3 hours of the labor is doing just that -- getting to them. I looked for posts about how the disassembly, cleaning and balancing is done. That's the other part. I've got so many projects going now (I'm in the middle of doing the cylinder heads on a 4Runner). It seems that jobs are easy when 3 things are present.

Space/time -- to keep things organized and done with patience
Access, lighting and the right tools
The right parts (good quality parts)
A good procedure

Yes, that's 3 things.

I think I've got 1 out of 3 of those items.....

 

[Ashley971]

I think the job would rank right up there with overhauling your Rolex on your own.

Michael

That's exactly how this is feeling....Thanks.

 

[Ashley971]

Thanks for the great replies. This is helping!

 

[Obo]

Then the easy answer and fix seems to be throw the money at it and let it be someone else's headache.
This sounds like the perfect place and time to do that in your situation.

Not everyone is meant to be able to wrench on everything!

 

[Slydynbye]

It's only hard the first time. Once you know what you are doing getting to the Carbs and getting them off is fairly easy. Opening up the Float bowls and removing the Idle jets is easy at that point. If a quick clean of the jets will do it and it probably will then do it if you have the Time and Will. You should probably count on replacing the Intake boots.
If that doesn't clear it out then Billy's Outback in Texas is a good bet for a complete rebuild of the carb set. $400ish

 

[Larry Fine]

Do the float bowls have accessible drain screws? There may be water, and it sinks below gas.

 

[Ashley971]

My Tech is estimating ~$800 total, including removal and replacement. So, $400-ish sounds like it's in the right range.

 

[Ashley971]

The bike is kept at room temperature in the garage. I've run it for about an hour after draining the tank. I'd be surprised if it was water. The carbs are buried though.

 

[Gymbo]

I had never torn into the carburetors on any vehicle prior to removing and replacing the plugged low-speed jets on my last ST11.

It wasn't as bad a job as I feared.

If you are reasonably mechanical, it can definitely be a DIY job.

I bought new carb boots, float bowl o-rings, float bowl screws, and #40 low-speed jets. As well as the hoses and coolant elbows/o-rings.

 

[Smudgemo]

I hesitate to tell anyone what work I think they could accomplish, but I rebuilt mine and the bike run fantastic. Way better than when I bought it last summer, for sure. I rebuilt a set of carbs for my '76 CB550 so I had a little experience, but certainly not tons. I really didn't find the process all that difficult and certainly would not suggest anyone who was reasonably competent to shy away from the job. I ended up buying a set from a member who parted out a bike so I could have the rebuild finished before pulling things apart, and that made it all a little faster and easier.

And while you're in there, you can replace the cooling hoses and elbows. Blow one of those lines and the carbs are coming out whether you're ready or not.

 

[Ashley971]

There's a good write-up on ST1100 carb removal and rebuild by Adam Frymoyer here. Another option is Billy Carr in Canton, TX. He's the go-to V4 carb guy and will rebuild the set for a bit over $300. I had him do mine and he did a great job. For reference, read though my thread to see what I did.

You might try a few more cans of Seafoam through it first before surgery. It helps to let the Seafoam/gas mixture sit in the carbs a few days. If you can ride it, it will speed things up.

That write-up should last in history as long as the ST1100 itself. I had it bookmarked, and it's better than my manual. This has always been a great forum. At this point, I'm confident that I can do the job. I'm leaning that way now. Thanks for the guidance.

 

[Smudgemo]

Not sure how this will show up, but this is most of the stuff I replaced when I did my rebuild. I got bowl gaskets from https://www.jetsrus.com/ and he has valves if anything is torn.

Product		Quantity	Price
	Honda OEM Part - HOSE, L. THERMOSTAT Part Number 19504-MT3-000	1	$20.25
	Honda OEM Part - HOSE B, WATER Part Number 19505-MT3-000	1	$13.45
	Honda OEM Part - HOSE, R. THERMOSTAT Part Number 19506-MT3-000	1	$17.03
	Honda OEM Part - O-RING (47.5X2) Part Number 91311-KE8-000	1	$1.74
	Honda OEM Part - SEAL, WATER PIPE Part Number 91315-MT3-003	1	$3.14
	Honda OEM Part - O-RING (21.2X2.4) Part Number 91331-PC9-003	2	$3.84
	Honda OEM Part - HOSE, RADIATOR Part Number 19503-MT3-000	1	$13.67
	Honda OEM Part - O-RING (54X2) Part Number 91307-MB0-003	1	$3.57
	Honda OEM Part - INSULATOR, CARB Part Number 16211-MT3-000	4	$10.05
	Honda OEM Part - PIN, KNOCK Part Number 16178-MB0-671	1	$3.61
	Honda OEM Part - GASKET, AIR FEED PIPE Part Number 18645-MT4-730	1	$2.00
	Honda OEM Part - BOOT Part Number 45504-410-003	1	$9.59
	Honda OEM Part - GASKET, OIL PAN Part Number 11214-MY3-000	1	$9.33
	Honda OEM Part - JOINT, WATER Part Number 19523-MT3-000	2	$9.48
	Honda OEM Part - TUBE, R. FUEL Part Number 16956-MT3-000	1	$7.10
	Honda OEM Part - TUBE, L. FUEL Part Number 16957-MT3-000	1	$7.29
	Honda OEM Part - TUBE D, FUEL Part Number 16958-MT3-000	1	$9.38
	Honda OEM Part - TUBE B, FUEL Part Number 16954-MT3-000	1	$9.11
	Honda OEM Part - TUBE C, FUEL Part Number 16955-MT3-000	1	$10.58

 

[DeanR]

Don't let the R&R stop you. Seems awful, but is actually not bad at all with all the available help and advice here. And while you are that far, other things can be taken care of, such as cooling hoses and elbows as has been mentioned.

 

[Oldbikefixr]

I did this job during refurbishment of my 1991. Not that difficult, just time consuming. Watch the Youtube videos as suggested. Synch the carbs when you're done.
Also replaced all the hoses and the two water fittings just under the carbs. I did not feel right about reinstalling 29 year old hoses (and clamps), regardless of appearance and condition. Some were hardened and cracking which convinced me further to replace them all. Not all the preformed fuel hoses for that year were still available, I don't know about later models of the 1100.

PS.....I only disassembled one carb at a time. Wanted the diaphragm, floats and bowl back into the original carb....some older Hondas had problems if the diaphragms were mixed 'n matched. Of course, you can always mark the carb # on those parts with a permanent marker.

 

[Ashley971]

That does it. I'm in.

Collective wisdom. All opinions considered.

It puts rovers on Mars and fixes ST1100s.

The task now is to take that great parts list and to confirm they apply to a 97 ST1100A. I think I need to get a carburetor synch tool too.

 

[PhotoDoctor]

If you are out on the road does it run well above 3k ?

If it runs good on the road I'd personally try and put some miles on it and see if it cleans up on the low speed and idle - it doesn't work often but for me it's worth a shot and has worked only once for me.

As a side note I currently have my 1997 carbs off due to a blown water hose. I replaced all the water hoses, vacuum lines, and fuel hoses which for the 1997 are available. I bought vacuum hose at the the local auto store. I also removed the pair system. Be careful with the heat shield as it can tear easily. This is the 4th ST1100 I've done this task on, all mine, and it is a Big Task that requires diligent patience.